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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25932922">Welcome Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsNilduenilun/pseuds/MrsNilduenilun'>MrsNilduenilun</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>19th Century, Complicated Relationships, Demon Sebastian Michaelis, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Fatherhood, Gen, Mystery, POV Ciel Phantomhive, POV Multiple, POV Vincent Phantomhive, Shinigami, Soul Selling, Vincent is alive, gods of death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:26:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,210</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25932922</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsNilduenilun/pseuds/MrsNilduenilun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Phantomhive Manor has been enlarged by another householder. It turned out that Vincent survived the fire and was wrongly considered dead. What will result from the presence of Sebastian and Ciel's father in one house and what role does Undertaker play in all of this?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Claudia Phantomhive/Undertaker, Diedrich/Vincent Phantomhive, Francis Midford &amp; Vincent Phantomhive, Rachel Phantomhive/Vincent Phantomhive, Sebastian Michaelis/Vincent Phantomhive, Vincent Phantomhive/Undertaker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Fatherly Mystery (Prologue)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            A translation of

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/667834">Welcome Home || Kuroshitsuji</a> by LadyPhantomhive0707 (me).
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! It's a translation of my fanfiction "Welcome Home" and one-shot ''Fatherly Mystery'' on Wattpad. I wrote the original of this work in Polish long time ago. At first I only made one chapter and I didn't want to continue it, but in the end I did a whole fanfiction of it. That's why, unlike my Polish readers, you have everything in one place and you don't have to look for a prequel anywhere. I made a prologue of it. I wonder what the foreign audience thinks about my story, so I'd be glad if you could share your impressions in the comments. English is not my native language, so I would happily accept any suggestions for translations. Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I can't say I had a bad life – quite the opposite. I had a gorgeous wife and a wonderful son. I led a prosperous life of an English aristocrat. Besides, I had a very successful company that I once wanted to pass on to my descendant. Of course, I also held an honourable position alongside Queen Victoria. There was absolutely nothing I could complain about. If I had to cling to something, I would probably fall for some tasks from Her Majesty, but I always left them alive and happily returned to my family. It mattered to me the most. I was lucky. Really lucky. I had no such thing as problems. By the time...</p><p>It was 1885. From the beginning of December, I felt very strange. I heard footsteps frequently and couldn't find their source. I turned back and each time didn't see anyone. I didn't even feel safe in my office. I felt cold everlastingly. Terribly cold. Although the residence was heated, I could sit in a winter coat and scribble something in the documents. I saw Rachel's strange looks when she came over to me. She carefully placed her delicate hand on my forehead, but she never felt the fever. I even smiled a little when she shouted at me that I should throw the cover in the corner or I'll overheat. She ritually went to admonish the servants to throw more wood into the fireplace. I loved her. So much. It's ashamed to admit that I liked to tease her sometimes. Fortunately, she couldn't be angry with me for long. I just ignored my unusual well-being. After all, my son's birthday was approaching. Less than two weeks remained then. Not the time and no place to get sick. I got myself some vitamins and other crap for reinforcement from my sister-in-law. Having a doctor in the family was like salvation. I admired her and appreciated the fact that she was always there when we needed her. A wonderful woman who, like Rachel, deserved the best. Since she was my beloved wife's sister, I treated her like my own siblings. Even though I felt taken care of from all sides, the strange feeling of danger never left me. The anxiety was also heightened by the strange behavior of others. Especially Undertaker. I often did things in the city because business, unfortunately, couldn't wait. Sometimes I happened to pass next to his funeral home. I heard him laughing. To himself. The laughter of a madman that made me shiver. He hadn't acted that way before. Always he seemed a little eccentric accident but he was so close to my mother so I thought that he couldn't be a bad being and I was staying in touch with him. However... This time it was cruelly weird. I had to de-stress. After all, I will not act like a scared or even a slightly deranged person at my only child's birthday. I was well aware that my worries were infecting Ciel. Sometimes he opened the door to my office gently, peeking at what I was doing while thinking that I couldn't see it. Sweet baby boy. The week before his birthday, I decided to relax a bit at the pool table. To this end, I invited a few friends to a rather private meeting. The clatter of billiard balls bouncing against each other was soothing to me. The company of familiar people and a bit of entertainment. It was almost perfect. Why almost? I have already mentioned the unusual behaviour of Undertaker. He also acted suspiciously that day. He watched the game while leaning against the pool table with a broad smile. He didn't even glance at me. He didn't exchange a word with me. I frowned as I sat in my favourite armchair. If he didn't want to see me, he might just make up an excuse and stay at the funeral home. I even felt that he was angry with me. Diedrich snapped me out of the thoughts that revolved around my latest behaviour. Dee nudged me lightly with his elbow. At that moment, Undertaker moved from his seat and sat down at the far end of the room.</p><p>"What got into him?" Diedrich asked with his mouth full.<br/>"I don't know..." I sighed softly, rubbing my cheek.<br/>"Don't make that face. Do you care about him?" he snorted in response, shoving another sandwich into his mouth.<br/>"Someday you'll be immorally fat," I chuckled softly, avoiding any answer to his question.<br/>His hurt expression made me want to laugh even louder. I admit I was a little mischievous. Though I don't know if it was malicious at the time. I preferred the term... good advice? Dee was my best friend after all. We met when I was at Weston College. I really liked remembering my school days. Especially with him! Indeed, my small suggestion made him shut his mouth. He puffed his cheeks and turned sideways to show me how much I had offended him. It made me laugh. <br/>"I'll be right back," I added when I calmed down a little. I got up from the armchair and went to the white-haired man. <br/>"Can we talk now?" I smiled heartily, waiting for an answer. Undertaker hung his head, shaking it in the negative. "Um... is something wrong?"</p><p>I admit that I waited quite a long time for an answer, standing over him like a fool. I didn't receive it. Instead, I felt a hard tug on my wrist. He led me out of the room by the hand and dragged along the corridor. He pushed me into one of the guest rooms so that I almost lost my balance and fell to the floor.<br/>"Are you crazy?! What's that supposed to mean?!" I yelled in shock as he entered the room right behind me. He turned the lock on the door, closing us from the inside.<br/>"Do you really want to know, Earl?" he smiled from ear to ear, brushing his fringe away from his face.<br/>He looked terrifying. Whenever he did this gesture, he revealed a scar on his face. It often occupied my mind, but this time I didn't think about its origin. I was more worried about whether he would let me go. I wanted to somehow get past him and open the door, but he effectively prevented it. He grabbed me by the shoulders. When he repeated the question once again, I irritatedly said yes.<br/>"Get out of town, dear Earl..." he chuckled like a psychopath. "Get out with your wife and son. Best as soon as possible!"<br/>As he said this, he laughed as loudly as he could. His chuckle echoed from the walls of the guest room. He let me go. I was so panicked I didn't know what to do for the first time. I felt weak. Seeing his green eyes, I realized I had no chance against him. Risk of hanging out with shinigami. I haven't forgotten that Undertaker is the god of death.<br/>"Get out? I don't understand..." I started scared. "Do you realize I have everything here? Family, company, home... In addition, I serve Her Majesty. I can't just drop everything and leave. Anyway, where would I go?"<br/>"But you don't understand, Vincent. You don't understand at all..." he sighed sadly, coming closer to me. He put his hand on my cheek, then ran a long black fingernail down my neck. I shuddered.<br/>"I don't recall that we were by the name," I said, rejecting his hand. "I told you once not to touch me like that," I paused because Undertaker had effectively prevented me from speaking. He put his palm over my mouth. I tried to get away, but I was definitely weaker than him.<br/>"Quietly, Earl. Someone overhears us..." he laughed, putting a finger to his mouth. He pushed me aside in such a way that I felt like a sack of potatoes. Like drudge!<br/>"Do you think you can put me around in my own house?!" I screeched but he didn't listen to me at all.</p><p>The white-haired man opened the door, and my little son was standing behind it. Ciel got so scared that he took a few steps back, hitting the corridor wall with his back. It was the first time he had terrified him. When he was born, the shinigami took him many times and the boy was never afraid of him. Anyway... at that moment I wasn't surprised. I was terribly confused by his unusual behaviour as well. As Ciel ran away from him crying towards his bedroom, I quickly bypassed Undertaker and ran after him to calm my little son down. Towards the god of death, I threw only contemptuous suggestion to get out of my residence. I spent the rest of the day calming the hysterical child, not even knowing how much he heard. I didn't even have time to say goodbye to the guests. As the mansion was deserted, hearing Ciel cry, Rachel became interested. She showed up in his bedroom. Seeing that my efforts were in vain, I asked her to take care of it. I ended up going to my office.<br/>"Yeah... I wanted to rest by the pool table..." I muttered to myself, shifting documents from the company from one cabinet to another. "I'm supposed to get out? But why?"</p><p>Rubbing my sore shoulders, I rested my head on the desk. I didn't even notice when I fell asleep. I woke up in the morning, jumping up sharply. I realized that it might be about the fact that I will die soon. Undertaker was a god of death after all. He could predict my death. When I got up, Ciel's colourful baby blanket fell off my shoulders. With a heavy sigh, I picked it up from the ground and hugged it like a cuddly. Then it hit me that my little son had seen and known more than I wanted. After all this, he probably couldn't sleep at night and saw that I was sleeping at my desk. Without thinking, I grabbed the phone. I dialled the number to the most trusted person.<br/>"Do you know what time it is?" Dee snorted on the other side of the phone.<br/>"Find time for me today, please..." I asked plaintively, afraid of my own thoughts.<br/>"Okay, okay, just let me sleep..." he muttered. In the background, I heard my friend cover himself with the duvet.<br/>"Preferably as soon as possible," I insisted.<br/>"What's with you?" he asked confused. I figured he sat up because I heard a slight creak of the bed. "Give me a couple of minutes. I need to get dressed. We'll meet soon."</p><p>A while later, we both sat in my mansion drinking tea. My guest enjoyed delicacies as usual. I thought about my behaviour and decided that I shouldn't have scared him, so at the beginning we discussed mundane matters. Our conversation was interrupted by my little spy, Ciel. Dee heard him and greeted him rather brusquely, causing him to immediately run to my lap. I knew perfectly well that my son was terribly afraid of him, but I hoped that one day he would understand the fact that he was a very good man. After all, I asked him to take care of Ciel and Rachel in case something happened to me. I wouldn't forgive myself if they were hurt in some way when I wasn't there. Fortunately, Ciel was getting older. I have not forgotten about his little anniversary, which was fast approaching. Diedrich was obviously not happy with the fact that I asked him to look after my family, but I knew he would agree to anything internally. We were friends after all. After his visit, I behaved perfectly normally. As if nothing happened. To this day, I blame myself for not listening to Undertaker. He warned me...</p><p>It's all my fault.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Resurrection</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So the prologue is over and we're starting with normal chapters. Hope you like this one, as Ciel introduces it this time. I realize there were no phones back then, but I'm sticking to the Kuroshitsuji universe. As always, I wish you a pleasant reading and hope for some small feedback.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b> [CIEL PHANTOMHIVE'S POV] </b>
</p><p>Autumn has come in 19th century England. However, it was not as picturesque as most people imagined. Colourful leaves quickly fell from the trees, becoming an inseparable element of the mud. You didn't even want to leave the house, because everything around was deeply depressing. It was one of those days when I was sitting at the desk in the office. Buried in a pile of papers from the company, which I managed after the death of my parents. Every now and then I looked out the window to see the raindrops hitting the windows. There was a cup of cold tea next to me. I haven't even found time to drink it. It was supposed to make the boring filling in of the necessary documents more pleasant. It was. It was so quiet in the mansion. I could catch almost every word of the conversations inside the building and others sounds. I admit that some of the noises were quite alarming. Especially those that resembled broken porcelain. But I tried not to worry too much about it and focused on the documents. After all, among other things, my demonic butler, Sebastian, was responsible for supervising the other servants.</p><p>At one point, I heard the phone ringing. After a while, loud footsteps. It sounded at least like someone running a marathon. Later it turned out that it was the butler that I mentioned earlier. He efficiently opened the door to my office. He didn't knock, so as soon as I saw him, I frowned. I was about to reprimand black-haired men for his manners, but he effectively prevented me from doing so by immediately going to the point. He explained that the call was an invitation to one of the English prisons and that the man who made the call was well known to me. Sebastian told me that Lord Randall, Commissioner of Police, stated that during a crime of working out, encountered on the trail of a certain sect and as a result of exploring one of its centres, they made a fascinating discovery. This information alone made me embarrassed because I had no recollection of being able to co-operate with Scotland Yard officials. Even though I, Queen Victoria's Watchdog and the London Police were responsible for protecting the royal family, somehow we never really liked our activities. We just didn't like each other in general, to be honest. Nevertheless, I went wherever I was invited. As soon as I entered, I was greeted by one of the officers, Fred Abberline. The man told me quite emotionally that I had to be brave. I measured him right away, indicating that I didn't wish to be treated like a child. A moment later, he said that I should see someone and it can be a shock to me. I exchanged puzzled glances with my butler when Abberline suggested taking my person to a specific room. The officer pushed the metal door open, revealing to me what I would never have expected in my life. At a small table sat a tall man flooded with tears. At first, I didn't know who he was, because his face was covered with hands. I gave my butler a questioning look. There was a suspicious gleam in his eyes. </p><p>"Ciel?" the man said weakly. Hearing my name gave me an unpleasant shiver, and tears filled my eyes. It was at that moment I understood the Abberline's words. I still couldn't believe my eyes. I touched my cheeks and found them completely wet with tears. I couldn't say anything. I was too shocked. After he said my name again, I thought I would pass out, but I quickly felt his hands on me, preventing me from falling to the ground. ''Here you are, my son. I'm so glad to see you," the man said warmly, hugging me tightly to each other. "So glad..." he added with a smile, loosening his grip. Lots of questions popped up in my head. I genuinely felt that my father was with me. I saw him then for the first time for so many years. I didn't understand how he got here and why he was still alive. Without thinking about anything, I enjoyed the moment, hoping that if the parent was just a figment of my imagination, I wouldn't wake up soon. </p><p>"Are they the ones who hurt you so?" he asked softly, placing his hand on my cheek, near the eye patch. "I'm so sorry."<br/>
Dad gently stroked my face with his thumb, then he pulled his hand away and put on a worried look on his face. I didn't care if Sebastian or Abberline witnessed this scene. I just burst into tears. Like a little child, I became utterly hysterical without even the slightest control. Drops of bitter water ran down my cheeks and then fell to the ground. I already had a vision in my head that I would wake up in my bed in a cold sweat and with a feeling of emptiness. It was so unreal.<br/>
"Shhh... You'll see, we'll come home and it'll get better in the end," he assured me, stroking my hair gently.</p><p>I was sure I had lost my human feelings, from sadness to joy, but I was so wrong. A glance at the face that hadn't been seen for a long time and meant a lot to me was enough. With tears in my eyes, I demanded an explanation. I said that I was convinced that he was dead, sobbing while mercilessly. Dad only replied that he would tell me everything calmly when we returned to our residence. He probably saw that I was shaky. As soon as I turned my head towards the exit, I understood Sebastian's earlier look. Damn it! It's a demon! I have sold my soul! I tried not to panic, or at least not to show it. I threw a cold `` we're coming back '' at him, to which the brunette nodded obediently.<br/>
"Oh, who is that?" dad asked in confusion, looking at my butler.<br/>
I swallowed loudly. I quickly explained that in the circumstances, I had to hire someone as my servants, and Sebastian was one of them. I thought he would ask about how I met him or some other details, but he only thanked him heartily for looking after me. I was ashamed to lie to him, but I thought it was the best option at that time. </p><p>As soon as we got home, I sent Sebastian to the tailor's shop almost immediately because all my dad's belongings were burnt in the fire. At least I could get rid of him. For some reason, I was afraid of the one-on-one situation between them, because I simply considered the option that he would want to hurt my father. In his eyes, he was probably just an unnecessary piece of the puzzle that did not fit the whole picture. After all, I wanted to take revenge for, among other things, his death. I ordered the rest of my servants to make us tea and invited the 'guest' to the living room. We both sat down on the comfortable couch and exchanged glances. No, it was definitely not a dream. Dad was real. He was sitting next to me. Even if this were the beginning of my new nightmare, I wouldn't wake up.<br/>
"Not much has changed here. I'm glad," he said, looking around. "It is a pity that my wardrobe burned down. After all, surprisingly many things survived."</p><p>I bit my tongue. I was fighting with myself not to reveal the truth about Sebastian, saying that the mansion burned to the ground and every little ornament was recreated. I was only nodding my head in silence to show that I was listening to what he was saying so that he would not feel left out. I was happy that he could accompany me again. I heard a little scuffle outside the door that made me move from the sofa. My assumptions were correct because instead of dealing with tea for us, Bard, Finnian and Mey-Rin preferred to devote themselves to a more interesting activity - eavesdropping on us.<br/>
"Didn't I tell you to do something?" I started dissatisfied, for which these immediately began to apologize to me hysterically.<br/>
"Mr. Tanaka took care of everything, and we just-... Out of sheer curiosity..." Finny said, trying to explain all the curious three.<br/>
"W-we just wanted to see if the young master was s-similar!" Mey-Rin interrupted, straightening her oversized glasses.<br/>
"Please don't tell Mr. Sebastian..." Bard interrupted.<br/>
In response, the three of them got the quiet laughter. It didn't belong to me. Dad started chuckling as he saw my servants so inept. Immediately, ideas about punishment for them jumped up in my head.<br/>
"These are your servants?" he asked with a serene expression on his face as he approached us. Father looked at each of them carefully and smiled enthusiastically. "They're pretty funny."<br/>
Well, although he was having a good time. The maid started raving something about us being so much alike. She was about to mention Sebastian, but luckily Tanaka cut her off as he walked down a corridor with a tray with two teacups on it.<br/>
"Nice to see you," my father said.<br/>
"And it's nice to serve you again, my lord," smiled Mr. Tanaka in response.</p><p>My dad and I returned to our seats, while the servant placed Earl Gray on the table for each of us. My father looked puzzled as he looked at the old man closely, then asked him where the buckle with the crest of our family was. The older man explained to him that he was no longer in command of the rest of the servants and that Sebastian took over this role with my return to the residence.<br/>
"Do you trust him more than good old Mr. Tanaka?"<br/>
"Sebastian is trustworthy," I said, taking a sip of my cup of tea.<br/>
Once again I wanted to punish myself physically. Just to hurt, because I lied. My faith in the brunette flashed like a soap bubble at the moment my father showed up. At that point, I wouldn't even entrust him with a dog. Maybe also because he didn't like these animals...<br/>
"You must have had a hard time. I'm glad you found people you could rely on," he replied, taking a richly decorated cup in his hand. "I don't know how much the situation has changed during my absence, but I know that from today you will be relieved of all duties. What happened to the company? Did... the Queen give you some work to do?" he asked then, clearly concerned.<br/>
"Sure. There were no problems with them. As for the company, it has grown significantly. It is doing very well," I said unfazed.<br/>
"Excuse me? Entrust such dangerous missions to a child?" he shuddered almost immediately. "You won't have to worry about anything anymore. Still, I'm proud of you for making it up,” he added, then nodded his head in appreciation, which made me feel honoured. Honestly, I wanted nothing else but his presence and love. The extra praise only made me feel better. I was accompanied by a pleasant feeling of warmth that melted the ice in the depths of my heart. </p><p>To continue the conversation, I asked for an explanation. In the end, he promised that when he returned home, things would become clear. However, I immediately regretted my reminder about it, because my dad's mood changed dramatically in an instant. He wrapped his hands around the cup, looking towards the fireplace. He probably didn't want to tell me everything to my face.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Conflagration</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b> [VINCENT PHANTOMHIVE'S POV] </b>
</p><p>The last years of my life were cruelly long. I didn't know what was happening around me. Locked up and trapped in an unknown place. When I was finally found and set free, I felt I had been given another chance from life. Like a small child, I got to know the world anew. Sitting in the Scotland Yard interrogation room, I learned two crucial things. Each of them has a different character, which made me happy and sorrowed at the same time. Police officers told me that my son survived the fire and promised to bring him to me. Unfortunately, my beloved was not so lucky. Tears pressed into my eyes at the thought of never seeing Rachel again. If only I could protect her...</p><p>At one point I heard a soft creak of a metal door, and when I looked up, I saw my beloved son on the threshold. He was already so grown. A small detail caught my attention, namely the eye patch. Was it stamped out? Ciel didn't see? I felt so guilty. I imagined what he must have gone through when I was away from him. Fortunately, everything started to fall into place again. We both returned to the residence where I met his servants. Regardless of my position, I thanked each of them for looking after my precious son. I didn't even care about embarrassing him. All my words were sincere. I was also glad to think about Tanaka because I realized that the world had changed a lot during the time I passed for dead. I smiled at every face I knew, regaining my old identity. I tried again to return to the state of happiness. I thoughtfully admired every scrap of the house as if I had just purchased it. My good mood shattered at the moment Ciel asked me for an explanation. Immediately, an unpleasant shiver ran through me, which made my hands icy in one moment. I tried to warm them up with a hot cup of tea. I knew perfectly well that the fire was not an accident. </p><p>Sometime before I had a lot of work, so I fell asleep in the chair. Rachel was reading next to me. Only her scream woke me up, and when I opened my eyes... The whole living room was in flames. Without hesitating, I told her she should run away. I was supposed to go and get Ciel. When we both reached the door my spouse tried unsuccessfully to open it. She was crying and tearing the door handle, so I decided that the best solution would be to break a window with one of the chairs, but when we turned back, we noticed an unknown woman in the room with a gun. To this day, her words telling us to remain still ring in my ears. When I noticed, that despite our obedience, she was going to shoot, I covered Rachel with my body. The rest of the events unfolded extremely quickly. I heard the sound of a gunshot, and then an unimaginable pain shot through me as I fell to the floor. Unable to move, I looked at Rachel and told her to run away, no matter where. Her worst mistake was leaning over me because right after that, she ended up with a bullet in her head. She was shot right in front of my eyes and her blood splashed on the whole room.<br/>"Please, stop already," Ciel interrupted me, his face almost pale. "I don't want to hear it anymore."<br/>"It's difficult for both of us. After all this, I most likely passed out and fell into the hands of these sick people. The bullet didn't damage any organs, but I lost a lot of blood. They sewed me up and cut me off from everyone, but I heard some voices behind the wall. I still had the ridiculous faith that Rachel was alive and that I would see her soon. I was also worried about what happened to you," I sighed as I put the tea on the table so I wouldn't spill it accidentally. I didn't want to show the child that my hands were shaking. "You don't even know how happy I was to hear that you are alive," I smiled warmly and put my arm around Ciel, hugging him lovingly. However, he seemed to be in a different world. "If you don't want to say what happened to you, I'll understand it. Nevertheless, we will be in this together. The two of us will handle everything. I just want to-... Can I?" I slowly brought my hand to Ciel's face so I could untie his blindfold and see what those degenerates had done with him. My son, however, jumped away from me as if boiling water had been poured over him. Probably he had a trauma. Poor fellow. </p><p>Why has this happened to us?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Nightly deliberations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b> [CIEL PHANTOMHIVE'S POV] </b>
</p><p>The conversation together cleared my mind a little. Everything indicated that revenge was still relevant. Someone murdered my mother. At one point I plunged into my thoughts and focused on my memories of that day. Suddenly I saw that my father wanted to undo my eyepatch. I immediately pulled away from him. No one could see the sign of the contract. Even him. I didn't want him to see how low I had fallen and what I was capable of to achieve the coveted revenge. Moreover, I recently got him back. I had no intention of sending him to the grave again. Such knowledge could endanger his life.<br/>
"I don't want you to see me without it," I muttered grimly, pressing my hand against the eyepatch to indicate that I wasn't smiling to part with this thing.<br/>
"That's all right. I will not insist," father replied calmly, but there was a lot of worry in his voice.</p><p>I went to the window and pushed aside the great curtains with my hand. It was getting dark, the rain was hitting the windows incessantly, and black storm clouds effectively covered the moon. After an eventful day, I wanted to go to sleep, but... It was that moment when I realized that my bedroom had never really belonged to me. In the end, I appropriated my parents' room. With a soft sigh, I walked over to my dad and presented the whole situation to him.<br/>
"I don't mind," he replied with a serene expression on his face. "Feel comfortable in your own home. I can go to one of the guest rooms. Believe me or not, I've slept in much worse conditions over the last few years," he added, while gently yawning.<br/>
Apparently, I was not the only one who was tired after today's events. Our conversation was interrupted by the rather loud creaking of the huge front door that echoed throughout the residence. Sebastian returned. I said goodbye to my dad by a silent 'good night' and immediately left the living room to have a serious talk with the butler.</p><p>"All taken care of, young master. Unfortunately, tomorrow morning I will pick up some of the ordered clothes" said the demon when he saw me on the stairs.<br/>
"Fine. We'll find something for him later. Meanwhile, I go to bed. You have to stay away from my father while I sleep. Understand? That's an order." I frowned at which the butler knelt in front of me, uttering the familiar words" Yes, My Lord," then went with me to the bedroom.<br/>
Brunette quickly changed me into a nightgown. Taking off my rings, the demon smiled to himself, which I didn't like extremely much. I asked the reason for this behaviour, and Sebastian merely looked at me with a pink gleam in his eyes. It made me shudder slightly.<br/>
"It just seems to me that you have a false hope of returning to normal life, young master. I even noticed that you started to fear me. Is it right? Suddenly you have someone to lose and you act differently. You want to be treated like a child again, but you were on your way to adulthood and wanted to be considered an adult. Make up your mind."<br/>
"Shut up, mongrel" I hissed, amazed at his audacity. "I still have someone to avenge, so you should be indifferent to my father's return. You will get everything as agreed. I also."<br/>
I started to doubt my purpose. I still wanted suffering for those who made my life a real hell, but had I not sacrificed too much? If I had failed to escape my destiny, my last command would be to leave my father in ignorance. I would prefer him to live a lie that I died of some disease or accident. My eyes glazed with tears at the very thought that he would suffer again. However, some human feelings remained in me. I tried not to let the demon notice it.<br/>
"Good night, young master," Sebastian said, taking the candlestick in his hand. "Do you want me to stay here until you fall asleep?"<br/>
"No. Get the fuck out," I snorted in response, covering myself more tightly with the duvet. "You often appear in the form of a raven, but I feel that inside you are an ordinary vulture. Just go away. You can't consider me a carcass yet," I added disgusted and sent him down the hall with a flick of my hand.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Delusions</h2></a>
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  <b> [VINCENT PHANTOMHIVE'S POV] </b>
</p><p>I don't remember the last time I got a good sleep. Rachel visited me involuntarily in every dream. All the time. I awoke drenched in sweat as the clock struck 3 AM. I took a deep breath, looking reproachfully at the dial with the numbers. I realized that by being imprisoned for a long time, I had stopped responding correctly to normal noises and had been sensitive to every sound. Especially at the sound of footsteps. Stains on the psyche are not so easy to wash off. I rubbed tired face with my hand as I sat down on the edge of the bed, and all I wanted most at that moment was to wake up next to my beloved with the statement that all those years were just a dream absurdity. All in all, I would still need a glass of water to be happy. Once I got out of bed, I felt the pleasant warmth of the fireplaces. Nice feeling. But where was the kitchen? I have completely forgotten.<br/>
"Candle..." I muttered under my breath, groping for any light source.<br/>
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I found what I was looking for, along with a box of matches. With trembling hands, I lit the wick and smiled sarcastically to myself. I was finally home. I didn't have to be afraid of anything. Imperceptibly I slipped out of my bedroom and headed toward the kitchen steps, or more specifically to one of the cabinets with glasses, cups, and other elements of the pledges. I gently took what I needed out of it, trying not to make any noise. Time was really inhumane, and I had a little mercy for servants. Some time later I was standing by the window with the longed-for water. I carefully pulled back one of the curtains, letting the sluggish moonlight into the room. There was no cloud in the sky, although before that, everything pointed to night rains.<br/>
"Maybe it won't rain after all," I said softly, taking some cold water from my glass. "I'd like to see more familiar faces. If Ciel wasn't here, I'd be lonely here." I sighed, not realizing that all this time, my only listener was myself. I missed my best friend, I wanted to know what happened to Undertaker and also to see Angelina and my sister. The biggest priority was a public denial of my death. I didn't know who was placed in the grave. It is possible that the coffin was empty because only ash was deemed to be left of me. I felt lonely. </p><p>Finally, I decided I should go to the room and somehow renewed sleep. When I walked up the stairs, I heard someone's footsteps. At first, I thought they belonged to me, but after a while, I realized that someone else must have been awake then. I looked around the corridor confusedly. I spotted a silhouette near my child's room. I was already afraid that I had lost my mind and saw something that was not there, but the longer I looked at it, I recognised that it was his butler. Without thinking, I went up to him.<br/>
"It's almost four o'clock," I began, rubbing my sleepy eyes at the same time. "Do you ever go to bed?" I chuckled quietly at him, which effectively attracted his attention. The black-haired man turned towards me and looked at me questioningly.<br/>
"I don't need any sleep. There are many useful things you can do at night," he replied dispassionately.<br/>
I shrugged my shoulders. It wasn't that I underestimated his work, but in my opinion, he was quite... eccentric. Especially after this answer, I found him a bit strange. His devotion could be described as simply disturbing, so I quietly announced that I would go to my bed. I turned away from him, wanting to go back to my room, but suddenly I stopped. I felt a cool wind that sent shivers down my spine. At the same time, I heard a soft sigh, and the light behind me from the butler's candlestick went out instantly. I looked back. The hallway was empty...</p>
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